CHAPTER 254: GIVE HIM A REASON, AND HE WILL SLAY DEMONS

Charles eyed the ornate box that Alex had given to him just now.

"What’s this?" Charles asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Open it, and you’ll find out," Alex replied with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Knowing that this was the only logical thing to do, the teenage boy agreed and opened the box.

However, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the tear-shaped pill that was inside of it.

"This..." Charles muttered.

———

Aurelia’s Tear

"A single tear to mend what fate has broken."

———

There was no way he wouldn’t recognize the medicine that would cure his little sister’s disease.

The teenage boy looked up at Alex, who was looking back at him with a smile.

"You could have chosen to join the Obsidian Fang to get the medicine for Eris," Alex said softly. "But you chose to stay with us despite the fact that we were being harassed by students with powerful backers. I’m sure you hesitated many times before deciding whether you should stay or leave.

"But in the end, you stayed, and that is all that matters. You already know that I squeezed the Crest Clubs hard and made them compensate us with millions of Arcana Points, right? Since that is the case, sparing some of it for your sister’s medicine is not a big deal."

Charles could feel his eyes moisten as he did his best to hold back the emotions that were rising up in his chest.

Yes. He could have joined the Obsidian Fang to get the cure for his little sister.

But he stayed.

The reason?

It was because after thinking long and hard, he realized it all boiled down to one thing.

If Alex hadn’t helped him, he wouldn’t have been able to escape the Dungeon of Beginnings and reunite with his sisters.

If he could abandon the person whom he was indebted to, especially at a time when everyone was their enemy, how could he still call himself a human?

With great determination, Charles had decided to stay, endure, and save up enough points so that he could buy his sister’s medicine without compromising himself and betraying his friends.

He had known that it might take him a year or two or maybe even longer to save up enough, but he had made up his mind.

And now, he was holding the medicine for his sister in his own hands.

"Go," Alex said before putting Dim Dim on top of Charles’ head. "Take Dim Dim with you. I’m sure it wants to see Eris and play with the kids in the orphanage."

"Ahem!" Dim Dim proudly lifted its body, telling Alex that it would accomplish its mission without fail.

"Thank you, Alex." Chuck finally found his voice again. "I promise to repay you in the future."

"Okay." Alex smirked. "I’ll put that on your tab."

Charles nodded and left to look for his older sister, Vivian, who was also studying in the academy as a Second Year.

He wanted this moment to be special. He wanted to take her to the orphanage so that they could celebrate as a family.

Alex watched as the teenage boy, whose story quest had been deemed impossible by the player base, disappeared in the distance. He could feel his heart swelling with joy.

After playing Charles’ story quest for nearly a year, Eris was no different from a little sister in Alex’s eyes.

Like them, he was an orphan and didn’t have a family. Perhaps that was the reason why he had persevered and completed Charles’ playthrough.

Alex could be very stubborn, and there was a quote that had inspired him to do his best during his younger years.

"Give a man a goal, and he will walk through fire. Give him a reason, and he will slay demons."

With the help of the Eris Brotherhood, a group of dedicated people determined to clear Charles’ story quest, Alex had managed to grasp every opportunity presented to him.

This had led him to completing his goal and meeting the God of Games, Eriol, who had sent him to Arcana... in a roundabout fashion.

"That’s so sweet of you, Alex."

The young man almost jumped up in fright when he heard someone speaking behind him.

He hastily turned around and saw a very cute young lady... who wasn’t really a lady.

Vaan looked at Alex with a sweet smile, as if he had seen something that further increased his admiration and respect for his savior.

He had wanted to know more about his club members, so he had found some time to chat with them.

The pretty boy had asked them how they had become friends with Alex. Their stories, especially Charles’ and Lavinia’s, had made his heart skip a beat.

When he had learnt about Renard’s chance meeting with Alex, he had almost died laughing at Dim Dim’s naughtiness.

Renard had smacked Vaan’s head back then for laughing too hard, but even the pain couldn’t stop him from laughing till tears welled up in his eyes.

"Vaan, are you planning to give me a heart attack?!" Alex asked while patting his chest in order to calm himself down. "I swear, my heart almost jumped out of my chest, you know?"

"It’s quite unfortunate that it didn’t," Vaan replied with a sigh. "Otherwise, I would have caught it and locked it away so Lavinia couldn’t steal it from me."

Alex blinked once, then twice, confused why the pretty boy was bringing Lavinia up.

But as if to toy with Alex’s feelings, another voice spoke behind him, making him jump in shock a second time.

"I heard that."

Lavinia had stealthily appeared behind Alex, catching the latter by surprise.

"You. Two. Should. Stop. Doing. That!" Alex, whose right hand was patting his chest, insisted. "Are you two planning to kill me? You want me to die that badly?"

Lavinia and Vaan smiled at the same time before giving each other a knowing glance.

"You’ve worked hard, President," Vaan said, linking arms with the young man. "Come. Let’s go to the cafeteria. I’ll treat you to a parfait."

Alex didn’t resist and allowed himself to be pulled by a smiling Vaan, who secretly stuck out his tongue at Lavinia,

The young Catkin’s lips twitched after seeing the pretty boy’s triumphant smirk.

’He’s just messing with you, Lavinia,’ Lavinia thought. ’Alex simply plays along with his whims because he knows that Vaan is a boy who needs to keep his act as a girl intact.’

And Lavinia was right.

For Alex, Vaan was like that mischievous friend who liked nothing more than messing with people around him.

Having a mischievous side as well, he simply played along, laughing internally at the guys who were jealous of him.

I mean, how could he not laugh?

If those lovestruck fools had known that the cute lady who was always around Alex was actually a boy, wouldn’t they all have smashed their heads against a wall in order to cool themselves off?

However, Lavinia also had a stubborn side.

Suddenly, Alex felt someone hold his right hand, making him glance at Lavinia, who simply looked back at him.

"What?" Lavinia asked. "Can’t I go with you guys to the cafeteria?"

"Well, you can." Alex blinked before glancing at his hand, which was held by the young lady. "But what is this?"

"I’m just making sure that our Club President will not get lost," Lavinia replied with a straight face, which made Vaan giggle. "The academy is huge, you know?"

"Today is a special day, president," Vaan commented lightly. "So don’t think too much and just enjoy the company of two beautiful girls."

"Only one is a girl though?" Alex pointed out.

Vaan giggled because Alex was the only one who would play along with his whims without feeling burdened.

He had been trapped within his own body for many years, with Willow using it for whatever caught her fancy.

He had suffered through her actions, so he now felt like he should live freely like the wind, unbound by any shackles, and do whatever he wanted under the sun.

More than anything else, the pretty boy also wanted to repay his debt to Alex, just like Charles, who had left to see his sisters.

Vaan had heard that Lavinia wished to become the strongest sword to assist the strongest shield.

That was fine, for he didn’t wield the sword.

What he wielded was the spear, and he would pierce through any obstacles that blocked the path of his savior, whom he believed would continue to stand at the front lines and fight those who threatened those whom he held sacred.